Branstad announced Friday that the state received final documents this week from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Iowa sought a waiver enabling the state to receive more federal Medicaid money for the Iowa Health and Wellness Plan.

Under the plan, the state will take federal funding to create a new health plan for some poor residents and to pay the premiums for other low-income Iowans to get private insurance on the new health care exchanges. The program could eventually cover up to 150,000 Iowa residents.

State officials said more than 65,000 people have applied for coverage under the plan.